Just A Bellyache, Bro
by shinyplaything
Summary: Javier couldn't help his partner, no matter how hard he tried. They were kidnapped, beaten, and trapped with it all being broadcast for the world to see.
1. Chapter 1

This wasn't exactly how Kate Beckett had envisioned spending her one-year-anniversary. This wasn't even close.

Computer screens across the precinct were lit up with crackled images that vibrated like lightening. The feed was distorted and unsteady as detectives and cops all around scrambled to find it's source. The sound of keyboards banging and hard drives being thrown to the ground could be heard throughout the halls.

"_Is it a virus?" _

"_I don't know. All I know is the system's been hacked." _

"_No one can trace it. How the hell is this video stream getting in here?" _

"_Can anyone make out who's on the screen?" _

"_I think it's Esposito and Ryan. Looks like Castle too. There's a lot of blood in the room. Picture's not great quality. Can't tell for sure but I think it's them." _

Chaos was erupting all around her and it was all she could do to just breathe. A loud, strong whining noise began to screech throughout the precinct as each computer hummed in unison. She stared at the screens, horror painted across her delicate features as the picture changed.

Clear and steady now, three figures came into focus, three figures she knew all too well, three figures she loved with all of her heart – words scrawled beneath their bloodied faces with a timer beginning to count:

_You have 5 hours before they die. Time to play the game, Kate._

* * *

**Earlier that day.**

"You want to know if you can bring a fan along to a crime scene," Beckett said slowly, making sure that she had heard correctly. "A _crime scene_, Castle." Frowning, her eyes narrowed as she shoved the remainder of the paperwork she had been finishing into her desk's drawer. "You can't be serious."

"You won't even know she's there. _Please_, Kate." Richard Castle's voice had turned into a soft wheedling plea, like that of a little boy. It was something he excelled at and it always got him what he wanted. "It would be a dream come true for her. She's like ninety they tell me and I really don't want to be stuck with her all day talking about dentures and prune juice." He shuddered.

"Castle, no." Beckett shook her head, lips pursing adamantly. "It's against protocol. End of story."

"_Okay_," Castle started again, backtracking as he brushed his fingertips against her cheek. "Look at it this way. If I bring her with us I can send her home earlier which means we can get to our reservations earlier which means ..."

"Which means _we_ can get home earlier," Beckett said, cutting him off with a sweet grin, eyebrows arching in a knowing fashion. "Why, Mr. Castle. Are you trying to get me into bed?"

"Who's getting into bed?" Javier Esposito strode towards the twosome, folders in hand. His partner, Kevin Ryan was close behind.

"Judging by the look of him, it _should_ be Ryan." Castle appeared concerned at the sight of the detective whose skin was far more pale than usual. "You okay, buddy?"

Esposito frowned, turning to eye his friend carefully. "Now that he mentions it you do look a little … _off_."

Ryan grimaced sourly, brushing the comments of concern aside with a grunt. "I'm fine. Just a little tired. Jenny's just been out of town for a few days and I don't sleep as well when she's gone. Once she gets back it'll be fine."

"Maybe you should go home," Beckett started. Ryan quickly cut her off.

"I _said_ I'm fine," he interjected curtly - a harshness in his voice they'd never heard before, brows furrowing slightly. "_Okay_?"

"All right," Beckett stammered, exchanging confused glances with both Esposito and Castle before snatching her keys from the top of her desk and placing them in her pocket. "Castle, you wanna' ride with me?"

"Hmm?" Castle appeared lost in thought, still watching Ryan with quiet curiosity. At last her question seemed to register and he snapped to attention, shaking his head as the fog of contemplation cleared. "Nah," he drawled with a loll of the head. "I think I'll share a car with the boys this time if that's okay."

Javier shrugged. "Whatever, bro. I'm driving."

Slightly taken aback, Beckett nodded. "Fine. I guess I'll see you there." Castle opened his mouth to speak, but she was too fast. Holding up a single finger she shook her head, already knowing what he was going to ask. "_Without_ the granny fan, Castle."

"_But_."

Javier's nose wrinkled. "Dude, no old chicks allowed in the squad car. Rule number three."

Castle sighed. "Fine. But you guys have to explain to poor Edna why she wasn't allowed to come. I won't be the one to break her heart."

Beckett grinned. "Somehow I think she'll survive, Castle."

"You do know what old people do, right? They die. Also known as the opposite of surviving," Castle pointed out with knowing charm.

"Are we going to get to this stupid crime scene or not? Or you guys all just going to sit around here talking about nonsense and wasting my time?" Ryan's sharp tone cut through the room and immediately everyone went silent. He appeared visibly uncomfortable - almost sick - shifting about ever so slightly though it was obvious he was trying to mask each movement.

Javier stared, completely shocked at his partner's reaction. "Yeah, bro," he assured quietly after a moment, grabbing his own keys as he started towards the door. "C'mon, Castle," he called over his shoulder as he motioned with his thumb that they were leaving.

"Yeah, give me a second." Castle held up his hand, watching as Ryan quickly trotted off after his partner and disappeared out the door.

"_What_ was that about?" Beckett shook her head in disbelief.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"I mean," Beckett continued, "everyone has bad days but Castle, I've _never_ seen him like this. And I've seen him on some pretty bad days."

"Maybe he's just tired like he said," Castle offered, though knowing in his heart it wasn't true.

"I don't know _what_ it is but I hope it stops soon. Espo's not going to put up with it for much longer and that's just a fight I don't want to see."

"Speaking of getting on Esposito's bad side," Castle jerked his head towards the door. "I really should go catch up with them. See you there?"

"I'll be the one standing over the dead body." Beckett said with a slight grin.

"But of course."

And with that (minus a fleeting brush of his fingertips against hers) he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Here." Esposito firmly thrust a white carton of food into his partner's hands.

"Espo, where the hell have you been?" Beckett's eyes were narrowed as she noticed the takeout container and glared. She gestured towards the floor where the half naked corpse of a young woman lay. A sheet covered her lower half. "We're at a crime scene if you didn't notice before, not the school cafeteria."

"Yeah it's kind of hard to not notice where we are," Castle interjected, his face tightly screwed - his disgust obvious. "What on earth is that smell? It's eerily reminiscent of the time mother tried her hand at cooking and ended up accidentally sautéing one of Alexis' Barbies."

Everyone grimaced.

"That _smell _would be the victim – well, mostly," Lanie said, breaking the group's close knit huddle, clipboard in hand. "Judging by the amount of decay she's been dead for over a week. That burnt plastic smell on the other hand, well that's another story. This place used to be a recycling center before a fire a few years back. Looks like the killer figured people wouldn't be shocked if they smelled something bad coming from this general direction."

"Do we have a cause of death?" Beckett asked.

Lanie shook her head. "Not yet. While there _is _a good deal of damage to the body it appears to all be postmortem. I won't have a better idea until I run the usual tests. But in the meantime," she stopped to turn and face Ryan, a questioning look on her features. "What is up with you today? You've been here an hour and haven't said one word. I don't even get a hello?"

"Hi Lanie," Ryan said glumly. His cheeks were flushed a gruesome hue of pasty white and it appeared that he was doing all he could to avoid eye contact.

"He's sick," Esposito chimed in. Ryan glared.

"I'm not sick," he hissed angrily.

Esposito's brow arched. "Oh _really_?" Flicking the takeout carton with his finger, he stared his partner directly in the eyes. "Fried shrimp in chili garlic, bro. I got you you're favorite."

Ryan stared at the box of food awkwardly. "I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are because if I heard you correctly in the car ride over here, you haven't eaten anything today – which by the way, Beckett," Esposito added on a side note, swiveling to face detective, "is where I was when you asked. Either _Princess_ here is extra cranky because he didn't get his Wheaties this morning or he just needs to admit to being sick."

"Ryan, if you're sick then just go home," Beckett said simply.

Ryan's mouth turned into a furious looking frown and his grip tightened against the carton of Chinese food, nearly breaking it between his fingertips. "I'm not sick," he muttered, his voice practically croaking from frustration.

Esposito tilted his head to the side with a slight jerk, his lips pursing as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Then _eat_. Because I can't take another hour let alone an entire day with you if you're going to act like some whiny chick on a diet."

Ryan stared down at the white box in his hand, clearly deliberating his options. Heaving a loud sigh, he pried the top open. "Fine, _whatever_."

"Here." Esposito handed him a plastic fork which Ryan used to promptly dig into the food.

They could all practically see his stomach turning as he shoved the first mouthful between his teeth, but he did his best to keep up whatever it was that he was trying to keep up. Swallowing – though it seemed to take far longer than usual – he bared his clean tongue and presented his empty mouth.

"There, Javi. Happy?"

Esposito just shook his head. "_Whatever_, bro."

"Aren't they just the cutest little married couple?" Lanie smirked as she shared a knowing glance with Beckett who returned the grin.

"Watch yourself Lanie," Javier warned.

Lanie sighed melodramatically. "You're no fun."

"Speaking of couples." Esposito cleared his throat loudly, embarrassed. "_Real _couples," he clarified quickly as he realized he had just lumped himself and Ryan into the previous equation. "What are you two doing for your big anniversary tonight?" His gaze switched back and forth between that of Beckett and Castle, eyebrows waggling with intrigue.

"Oh you know, the usual. Jetting off to Paris to watch the sunset," Castle assured roguishly. "Nothing too extravagant, of course."

"Don't joke, Castle." Beckett smiled, squeezing her beau's arm gently. "I just might hold you to that."

"Yes well, while my bank account is generously larger than it used to be, I'm afraid it's still not quite _that_ large."

Lanie pursed her lips playfully as she gave Beckett a knowing look before shooting Esposito a coy grin. "I _told _you size mattered."

All eyes shifted to Esposito.

"_What_?" He bristled. "Don't act surprised."

"_Right_. Well, I'm going to interject here before this gets weirder than it already has," Castle said, his face scrunching at the thought of what had just been shared with them. "Anniversary plans are a surprise and will _remain_ that way until I pick Kate up tonight at a very secret and very special location that she has yet to be notified of."

"How very 007 of you, Castle." Beckett's smile was flirty yet genuine.

"Yes, well I don't know if you know this but they based him off of me."

"_Castle_."

Castle grinned. "It was worth a shot."

"Detective Beckett," a voice rang out from amongst the crowd of officers surrounding the body. "We're done here. Are we okay to move the body?"

Beckett nodded, turning to face the group of cops as she motioned with her hands towards the throng of cars waiting nearby. "Let's get her on the slab so Lanie can take a closer look. I want cause of death before we dig too much further into anything else." She turned towards Castle. "Are you going to ride back with the guys?"

Castle winced as though he was half expecting her to blow up in his face. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not." She planted a quick kiss against his cheek, careful that anyone who didn't know their sweet little secret was watching. "See you in a few." Pausing, she glanced over at Ryan who was still working on his box of food and looking more miserable by the minute. "If I see you back at the precinct looking like this I will personally drag you home and shove you into bed. Are we clear?"

"Hey!" Castle feigned hurt. "You're not shoving anyone into bed unless it's me." His eyes glimmered mischievously at the mere thought. "I can see it now. A little rough and tumble. A scuffle of sorts. Who knows, Beckett - could be fun."

"And on _that_ note, I'm out of here. Kev, you comin'?" Esposito motioned towards the car, and quickly both men dispersed from the scene.

Lanie glanced around uncomfortably. "Oh what's that?' She grabbed her cellphone, quite obviously pretending that a call had come through the blank screen was visible to all those around. "Of course," she continued, holding up a gloved finger as she nodded towards both Beckett and Castle. "Of course," she repeated. "I'll be right there." Mouthing an apologetic "_sorry_", she didn't even both to pretend hanging up as she scurried off into the distance.

Castle seemed confused. "Are we really _that_ couple? You know, the one that makes everyone around them feel icky and awkward?"

Beckett shook her head with a wry grin. "I wouldn't say '_we_' in this particular instance, Castle. I'm pretty sure this one was all on you."

"Yo Castle – you comin'?" Esposito's voice rang out over the crowd from the driver side window of the squad car, his hand thumping against the outside of the door.

Castle waved his fingers in response, turning to face Beckett as he slid his hand gently across her face in a sweet caress. "_Tonight_," was all he said. He spoke softly and with an intense directness that made Beckett feel like everything around her was just for show – that the only thing that mattered was right there in front of her face, holding her cheek.

_Tonight._

He dashed off, ducking into the backseat of the car.

She _should_ have made him wait. She _should_ have made him stay. She _should_ have held him tighter, felt his hot breath on her neck just a little longer. She _should_ have kissed him deeper – oh she could just melt into that kiss of his and never leave.

But she didn't – and he was gone.

And she had no idea what was coming next.


End file.
